Printer Problems

Some Fixes &
Printer Troubleshooting

This page will help you understand some of your printer’s error codes, failure symptoms and provide quick fixes for the you.  You might be able to avoid a service call and solve the problem yourself. You should gain an understanding of what type of printer failure you are experiencing and what to do about it.

Some Laserjet common problems

My Printer is making grinding or rubbing noises when printing and I get an occasional 13.1 error jam.   Your pickup rollers are probably bald. This problem is typically corrected with new pickup rollers.

My printouts contain a line down the page, what can cause this?   The toner cartridge or fusing assembly usually causes this. First, change the toner cartridge if you have one in stock. If that does not correct the problem, it probably is the fuser unit. Call for us for service at 418-7988 today.

Recently, my print characters have a fuzzy ‘halo’ around them?   The friction of the paper moving through the printer and the rotating drum of the toner cartridge creates an excessive static charge drawing out more toner than what is needed. This creates a halo effect around each character of your printout. This happens during cold weather in a predominately dry office settings. Adjusting the printer density settings can result in a much “cleaner” look.

My printer hangs at “Processing Job”. Large or graphically complex print jobs can be the culprit of long processing times. Increasing printer memory will shorten these processing times.

When I try to print nothing comes out of my printer. Make sure you have the correct printer selected. Within the application you are printing from, click on the ‘File’ menu and select ‘Print’. An applet will appear displaying all the printers installed. Make sure the printer you want to is highlighted. You can also print a configuration page directly from the printer. Typically, if you can print a config page then there is a problem with the printer communicating with the network. Call for us for service at 418-7988 today.

How do I re-install my printer driver? Your printer driver should be located on your operating system in your printer’s folder. Select Add Printer and follow instructions. If your driver is not located in the OS go to www.hp.com and select software & driver downloads and follow instructions.

How do I flash my printer’s firmware and why? Newer printers allow the firmware to be flashed and upgraded to the latest version. Firmware is basically your printer’s operating system and free upgrades are available at Hewlett Packard’s website. Upgrading your firmware reduces communication errors. Do not attemt this if you are not sure how, you can disable your printer.To flash the firmware, go to www.hp.com and select software & driver downloads and follow instructions.    

Understanding Error Codes

HP Laserjet printers has a sophisticated error code system. These error codes describes what type of failure that your printer is experiencing.

Error 13 Paper Jam. This code describes where in the printer the paper is jamming. The locations are designated 13.1 through 13.6. Quick Fixes include checking to make sure the paper cassette trays and paper are installed correctly and the paper alignment guides in the paper tray are properly seated for the correct paper size. If you do find stuck paper, please remove it as gently as possible so that he paper sensors are not damaged. If paper jams are a chronic problem.  Call for us for service at 418-7988 today.

Error 14 No EP cartridge. Check that the toner cartridge is installed and fully seated.

Error 16 Toner low. Toner cartridge is low on toner. Try gently rocking the cartridge to redistribute the toner. This may buy you a few hundred extra pages. Plan on replacing toner cartridge soon.